Eandis Research Chair in Resilient Supply Chains

Smart partnership for smart meters

In anticipation of its multi-year digitisation project, Eandis has partnered with Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School to endow a Chair in Resilient Supply Chains. The School will conduct research into the design and management of resilient supply chains and support Eandis in the supply chain challenges it will face in the course of the project. This new Chair will be held by Professor Behzad Samii, who joined the School last year. Behzad holds a PhD in Supply Chain Management from MIT Zaragoza, and he has business experience in the energy field.

Philippe Haspeslagh, Dean Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School: “This Chair represents another opportunity for us to develop and leverage applied research. We are constantly looking to collaborate with companies – particularly on leading-edge projects – to conduct research for business. This brings our academic faculty closer to our business audience and allows us to share some of our knowledge with our partners. This Chair is a way to further institutionalise the partnership we already have with Eandis.”

Luc De Bruycker, CEO Eandis: “In addition to our partnership, many of Eandis’ managers have studied at Vlerick. So there has been continuity for a number of years, and now this Chair is drawing on this history and bringing us even closer together. The challenge we are now tackling is a technology shift from electromechanical technology to the digital world. Changing our entire metering network to digital meters (so-called ‘smart meters’) is a huge supply chain exercise. We want to combine our practical knowledge with Vlerick’s theoretical knowledge to develop a supply chain that is resilient and flexible for the future.”